It's about time for an update on how the baby transition is going for the pets. Halas is doing relatively well. He's still pretty unsure about Noelle, does let her pet him (which ends up being more of a hit), but only for a minute. Winnie on the other hand is not doing well with the baby. Now that Noelle is so mobile Winnie is not a fan. Hopefully she'll come around with time, but for now we're very careful with baby and cat claws. Here are some photos so you can see what Noelle's been up to with Halas.

 Taking Halas to the park to run with friends.

This was earlier this spring before we moved and gained a back yard.

We don't make it to the park much anymore, but Halas goes outside a lot more now, and loves his new house.

Dad even put in some new grass for him to run and play on today!

 Noelle hasn't quite learned the difference between baby toys, and dog toys yet.

But, I guess when Halas is bringing his toys to her we should expect situations like this.

Unfortunately for Halas, Noelle doesn't know how to play fetch with him yet. 

 We spend many minutes a day like this. Halas on his bed, Noelle reaching up to him.

It involves lots of licking, but is good for Halas to be on "his turf" (kinda) and more comfortable when Noelle tries to get his attention.

 There are perks to Halas for Noelle being around ... people food!

I've had to cut back on this treat, but Halas knows his place when it's meal time for Nono - under her high chair!

All in all, I think it's worked our pretty well for both of them. 

And, maybe one day we'll have some pictures like this with Winnie too. Maybe.

Well, these past two months have totally flown by. I can't even begin to explain all of the changes, and how much Noelle has grown. So, let's look at some pictures, shall we? I'll throw some captions in there, and hopefully things will start flooding back at me!

Noelle's 9th Month

 Father's Day. I love this little wrap dress. We didn't do anything particularly special for Father's Day.

We spent the day together (we only get one family day a week),

and walked through the outdoor mall in the suburbs. 

 First time in the shopping cart at Target - loved it. One of the last baths in her baby tub.

The big tub is so much more fun for Nono and all of her rubber duckies.

She gets so excited, and splashes constantly.

 Started sleeping on her belly, and weighed 18 lbs at her nine month check up.

 Swung in a swing for the first time, and enjoyed some potato chips while barbecuing with friends.

 Making friends with Halas, and standing all the time!

Noelle's 10th Month

 Showing Halas why he should be her BFF. She'll give him scraps, and share her toys.

 Patio dinner with mom and dad. We stayed out past her bedtime this night.

She was so good too. The patio was packed, and it was loud.

She nicely sat in our laps (no high chairs) until we finished, and headed home. 

 Playing with girlfriend Leena at Erica's baby shower. Finally they can actually (somewhat) play together!

 Computing and checking out her new walker. She couldn't use the walker yet at this point, but is a champ now. You can check out our weekend in review for the video!

 Lots of crawling and cruising along furniture.

 Enjoying watermelon at Great Aunt Pam's. This was a great day.

Dave's parents were in town, and so were both of his cousins who also live out of state.

We all gathered at Pam's house and enjoyed some delicious food, and relaxing by the lake.

It was a great two months. I can't believe that the summer is almost over - that is by date because if you go by the weather, we're far from the end. If we're lucky, maybe it will linger into October so we can have some backyard fun to celebrate baby girl's first birthday! Fingers crossed!

Well, last weekend concluded Noelle's 9th month. She's officially been alive as long as I cooked her. Wow. It's hard to say which went by faster. I'll tell you though, I'm certainly enjoying this summer a lot more than I enjoyed last!

I think this month Noelle has changed the most significantly compared to the rest. She eats well, sleeps great,  and is standing wherever there is something she can pull herself up.

We had her 9 month check up this week and the doctor was very happy. Noelle weighed 18 lbs 10.5 oz on Tuesday, which now puts her into the 50% as opposed to the 25% that she's been until now. She also grew two more inches since her 6 month check up - 29 inches, 90%! But now to the fun stuff - pictures! Enjoy!

 

 

I had a revelation recently. My kid dresses better than I do. Her clothes are so cute, and I don't think it's simply because they're tiny. Really, I always try to pick out "fashionable" outfits for her. Is this ridiculous? I mean, I even put a head band on her when she's home with the nanny all day. A bit extreme maybe?

Now, I like to think that I try to be trendy and fashionable, but most of the time I default for something comfortable, or an "old favorite." My "uniform" is a sleeveless top, cardigan, and straight leg pants. I did mix it up a bit this season, and bought some colored pants from LOFT, and I really do love them. They were a good find, and give me some variety from my typical black or grey pant with some color.

I remember when my sister and I were younger, and my mom would take us shopping. She never bought herself anything. We would always tell her "but mom, you deserve it" or "you never buy yourself anything." She would always just brush it off, and we'd continue on the spree to fill our closets with new goodies. I never understood that until now. She really is a great mom, and while I always felt that she deserved more than what she would ever do for herself, I hope to be just like her one day.

Yes, I might focus more on making sure Noelle looks cute, but I'm ok with that. She deserves it, and one day she'll teach her daughter the same thing, just like my momma taught me.

Noelle is now eight months. Wow. This month went by incredibly fast, and was super busy for our family.

At the end of seven months we moved. Thus the majority of this past month has been spent getting settled in the new digs. We're still not there yet, but it's getting closer. The husband started a new job, and for the first time in our relationship (most of it at least) we finally have weekend nights together. To celebrate, we're going on our first date since February this Saturday night. I can't wait! We took a trip to the cottage for Memorial Day, and Noelle got to meet all the kiddos who will become her Higgins friends. And, we took Noelle to her first Chicago street festival - Rib Fest.

eating. croissants. 

drinking. holding my own bottles.

chores. laundry with momma.

street fest season. rib fest.

standing and playing.

teething on everything.

just being our happy girl.

Noelle is changing every day. It's almost hard to keep up with everything new. She's going to be talking, and running around this place in no time. Happy eighth month, big girl!